A social media post by a Chinese top epidemiologist has hinted at the consideration of a Chinese-style coexistence with Covid-19, several media outlets have reported.
At least three regional and international news outlets, including Hong Kong’s Ming Pao Daily, reported the news, citing the Weibo post – on China’s Twitter-like social media platform – of Zeng Guang, former primary scientist of epidemiology with the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In the social media post, Zeng wrote that “Dynamic Zero Covid” would not be permanent. Instead, “in the near future, the roadmap to Chinese-style Coexistence with Covid will be presented at the appropriate point of time,” the post read.
Zeng set out that Chinese and western scientists have agreed on certain facts: the lower fatality of the Omicron variant, the encouragement of vaccination and the use of newly manufactured Covid medications.
Describing the economic burden brought about by the zero-Covid policy as increasing with a more highly transmissible variant, Zeng admitted that the coexistence with Covid policy is still risky to China and should not be introduced in a hasty manner.
Although praising the bravery of the western world, he thought that it was “completely unnecessary” for China to open its doors when the pandemic was still severe, let alone in Spring, which is a prominent season for respiratory diseases.
According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), Zeng is not the first person to make such suggestions. A medical doctor at the Huashan Hospital in Shanghai suggested the idea last year, but was slammed by netizens in China.
What is different is that Zeng’s post was appreciated by mainland netizens, reflected by the 24,000 positive reactions to the post.
Citing the Wall Street Journal, the RFA reported that Hong Kong’s Covid-19 development is considered a stress test. It is not only used to evaluate the city’s capability of handling mass infections, but also the effectiveness of various remedies.
Meanwhile, expert on China and Hong Kong commentator, Johnny Lau Yui Siu, told the RFA that, for the time being, what is most important for Beijing is to maintain a stable environment for the 20th National Congress of China. However, the possibility of pilot cities testing the Coexistence with Covid policy is present, Lau added.
